Fiction:
Payback in Death by J.D. Robb is fifty-seventh in this futuristic mystery series, and I continue to enjoy, from a writerly perspective, how Robb/Nora Roberts manages to both provide enough information for new readers and reward longtime readers with running gags (the obstreperous vending machine near the interrogation rooms, for example) and ongoing secondary character events (the continuing saga of the house being renovated by Mavis, Leonardo, Peabody, and McNab). This one also had a few good twists to the mystery of who had killed a retired Internal Affairs policeman. This is pretty much the only police detective series I can tolerate, probably because the nearish-future setting gives some distance from our contemporary system of policing. Like all mystery novels, it’s about Justice more than anything else, but simplistically doesn’t go beyond Putting the Villains in A Cage; it’s not part of the formula, but one day I would like to see Eve Dallas grapple with that a bit more.
Random in Death by J.D. Robb is fifty-eighth (!) in this series and is a serial killer plot in which the killer has no empathy and chooses victims on the spot. This plot structure is popular for a reason; if the reader’s interest flags, another death with new clues increases the momentum. In this particular one, the victims made me very sad even though they were fictional. Two victims, thankfully, survive. This one was pretty stressful but definitely kept me reading.
Growing Good: Seasonal Celebrations (Clorinda Cathcart’s Circle Book 22) by L A Hall returns to the friends of Clorinda Cathcart and their children, spread among many estates and celebrations. The plot inches along, the cast increases, and I am there for it.
We Could Be So Good by Cat Sebastian is the first romance I’ve ever read set in 1958-1959 New York City. Andy Fleming’s father owns the newspaper where Brooklyn-born Nick Russo is a city reporter. Nick takes Andy under his wing while trying to fight off attraction to him, which goes about as well as you might imagine when they swiftly become close friends. Andy is a bisexual sweetie who probably has ADHD as well as a fear of abandonment; Nick is not only closeted but the door is barred and chained since an arrest in his teenaged years. Their friendship is charming and believable; woven in among their romance are several key moments in gay history, including a landmark article in The Village Voice and the American publication of Mary Renault’s The Charioteer. The protagonists work through issues with their families as well as with how they can safely be together in the way they want to be. This was a lovely, low-stress book and I recommend it.
My TBR Challenge book for September is Drama!: Blackout by Connie Willis.
Fanfiction:
The Cross Purposes Job by solomonara was a very fun crossover between the new Leverage series and the Batman comics (including most of the current Batfam). After Wayne Enterprises disrupts a con at a critical moment, Leverage decides to investigate. As you can guess from the title, they are working at cross purposes, each party investigating and outsmarting the other until almost the very end.
Friends of Cordelia by PhoenixFalls and sanguinity writes up, in academic style, Cordelia Naismith Vorkosigan’s impact on the queer communities of Barrayar and Sergyar.
American Dreams by Miri1984 is a series of often very poignant snippets from the perspective of Steve Rogers, mostly when he’s recently defrosted.
Five Times Frederick Wentworth Had the Breath Knocked Out of Him On the Ice (and one time he let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding) by AMarguerite is ne of the best Olympics AUs I read in a recent series of them. In this modern-day Persuasion AU, Frederick Wentworth, a hockey player from the rez, and Anne Chan Elliott, a well-off figure skater, become pairs partners, but break up just before leaving Juniors for the Senior Ranks because, ostensibly, Frederick is being recruited by the NHL but actually so Anne can be sent to the Olympics as a Senior singles skater (for Reasons). They’re reunited years later after Frederick is a successful NHL player and Anne is working as a sort of event/project planner. They work through it. The happy ending is satisfying. I especially liked Frederick’s family, characters we don’t really see in the Jane Austen novel.
Soldier/Ghost by Miri1984 combined comics!Captain America with MCU!Captain America in a way I found delightful. Post-“Captain America: The Winter Soldier” Bucky Barnes is struggling to regain his memory while Steve Rogers and Sam Wilson have gone to England where Steve is reunited with members of his WWII group, The Invaders. I read some Invaders comics back in the day, and I very much enjoyed seeing them integrated with MCU plotlines. Also there are vampires and flashbacks to WWII. You’re welcome.
Thy Soul, Alight In The Dark by Aerlalaith is a Reboot!Star Trek alternate universe in which the crew of the Enterprise have left Starfleet and are working as salvagers after the end of a long war with the Klingons. They find a huge, abandoned Vulcan ship and Creepiness In Space ensues. Spock, who never joined Starfleet (and whose planet was not destroyed) is defending against an ancient evil with no hope of rescue. Kirk can do something about that. This had romance, but what I really loved was the worldbuilding of Vulcan history and mythology and the science of telepathy.
Grounded by Margo_Kim is thoughtful, hopeful, and rewarding. Post-Avengers: Endgame, Bucky Barnes is given a journal, but the main focus of the story is how he begins to form new connections and build social support, woven in and out of “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier” and then adding in a Bucky/Sam relationship amidst his bonding with Sam’s family. Bucky actually makes use of his therapist and other useful things like that. I would like more stories like this.
reasons why you don’t want to talk (about reasons why you don’t want to talk) by napricot is another thoughtful Bucky recovery story set after Avengers: Endgame in which Bucky grapples with Steve leaving him behind and, spoiler, Steve returning. This was a new twist on this subgenre, I felt, and I was totally there for it.
skate the line with me (let’s fall in love) by andromedabennet is a figure skating alternate universe featuring characters from The 100, a show I’ve never seen. I enjoyed it anyway! There were a few small skating-world things that didn’t ring true to me, but nothing too obvious. Clarke Griffin is an excellent singles and pairs skater with a pushy mother; after being badly injured, she shifts to ice dance with her childhood friend, Bellamy Blake. Eventually, romance ensues between them, but I felt the focus is more on the skating and Clarke figuring out what makes her happy, at least until the final chapters, which are very romance-y. I was impressed the writer kept me interested despite knowing nothing about the canon. (I finished this one yesterday, so it’s technically an October read.)
